-KAGE- Shadow of The Ninja: SUPER REALISTIC NINJA ACTION

[Gamer707b]

Even though I very much grew up in the 8 and 16-bit era, I can't say I played any Natsume games. My experience with Natsume games has just been the last 5 or so years when Tengo Project started to do these remakes. It's one of those cases for me where I never asked or wanted these games till I played them. Since Tengo started these re-releases, I've gone out of my way to make sure I buy and play them all. Played the previous 3 remakes and went nuts trying to find a physical for this last release. I literally called 9 or 10 GameStops and not one copy. Finally went back to the GameStop where I initially pre-ordered and they said my copy finally came in which was the next day.

I think the only other game releases where I still get giddy like a school girl are the M2 ShotTriggers games. Shadow Of The Ninja Reborn has been great fun for me btw. Love the old-school design of having to learn the stage route and trial and error. Since I have an extra day off today due to the holiday, I'm gonna be spending it trying to get through the last stage and maybe even start another play through, this time with Hayate.

[To Far Away Times]

Never heard of this game before but it looks hella cool. Really nice animation in this.

[NYN]

Got the game on card, and found something I disliked immediately: the "update" of 1.1 GB for I-don't-know-what. You might scoff at the little number like this, I don't.
Holding it to the other entries of TENG0, none of them did this. It doesn't feel cool, is my objection. You may roll your eyes now.

[evil_ash_xero]

Digital Foundry did a cool review of the game. I'm glad I watched it. I didn't know you could hover.

Hands down, my biggest issue with the game is the peculiar controls. They're just not as precise as the first game, and I don't
understand why.

That being said, they're good enough, and everything else is pretty damn good. I just don't understand why it's not as tight as the NES original.

They could also stand to patch in something to tweak the item selection menu. It's kinda wonky. I've got the hang of it, but it needs to be better.

[Sumez]

The hover is pretty damn essential. In the demo it felt like a cool gimmick that could be used to get that healing item below the boss door and escape without taking damage. In the full game it's incredibly useful all over the place, and can help a ton with the final boss.

Related, I'd like to PSA about the extended wall run, because it took several full runs for me to "get it"!
When you hit "jump" and hold up on a wall to start running you need to keep mashing the jump button to keep running up the wall. That way you can run as far as the wall stretched, instead of your ninja jumping off prematurely.
The game just expects you to know this - one obstacle on stage 4 is really hard to get past without it, and the stage boss will damage you for not knowing it. But it's not necessary anywhere else - it's very useful in a lot of places however. It's also not documented well in the manual at all. I can imagine a lot of people are gonna bounce off the game at that one location.

[NYN]

The hover is pretty damn essential.

Arriving at stage 2, after the metal snake, there is this upward section with the steam pipes. It's got a little gap in the ground floor, not to monkey-bar over it, and I instantly recognized that the hover is needed. Not a gimmick.

[WarpZone]

I’m waiting on PA to ship my order. Hopefully the PS4 Japan version isn’t canceled (Bitmap Bureau EU was, sadly).

Mine shipped but still waiting. I played the PS4 and Switch demos and it felt like PS4 had less input lag (no surprise) so I went with that one.

Got the game on card, and found something I disliked immediately: the "update" of 1.1 GB for I-don't-know-what. You might scoff at the little number like this, I don't.
Holding it to the other entries of TENG0, none of them did this. It doesn't feel cool, is my objection. You may roll your eyes now.

Pocky and Rocky at least had a patch as well (I think it fixed a 1up bug).

But it's not necessary anywhere else - it's very useful in a lot of places however. It's also not documented well in the manual at all. I can imagine a lot of people are gonna bounce off the game at that one location.

I figured it out in the demo but it's easy to miss or misinterpret in the manual (it says 'Tap A' but unclear that means repeatedly tap). Cool if that has utility throughout the game, anyway.

The hover is really cool/fun -- in the demo I think I prefer Kaede due to this. Maybe harder to use but more interesting to rely on the hover more.

[NYN]

Pocky and Rocky at least had a patch as well (I think it fixed a 1up bug).

Not what I meant. A needed patch is neat-o. What I got was an update of some volume. My guess would be about the leaderboards, maybe. The digital version on Switch is around 3.2 GB, which I would not find acceptable. I got the game card to get around that, duh, just like the other TP releases. Hey Kids! This gives me the cool illusion of being some 30 years back! Just put it in for big fun. No. Early 21cen digital media practices.
I mention this not be recognized at being anal, or being-out-of-times, it's because this is the exception.

[ExitPlanetDust]

Mine shipped but still waiting. I played the PS4 and Switch demos and it felt like PS4 had less input lag (no surprise) so I went with that one.

Another game is holding up my order. Hopefully I will see my disc around mid-month. I’m just happy it got a PS4 release. Now I don’t have to spring for a second Dualsense if I want to play co-op.

[Sumez]

I figured it out in the demo but it's easy to miss or misinterpret in the manual (it says 'Tap A' but unclear that means repeatedly tap). Cool if that has utility throughout the game, anyway.

The hover is really cool/fun -- in the demo I think I prefer Kaede due to this. Maybe harder to use but more interesting to rely on the hover more.

Also, you're using the B button, not the A button
Funny enough, the printed manual actually gets it right. The one that can't be fixed in a day 1 patch. Glad the patch also doesn't fix "quite" on the load-out screen. I hope they never fix that.

I love that the hover isn't just holding or mashing jump, but requires a conscious action, similarly to the wall-run also requiring some more determination from the player. Makes it feel more like a ninja skill, and not just the game playing itself for you.
It's kind of similar to how both Hagane's and Shinobi 3's double jumps aren't just "jump in the air whenever", but specifically timed actions that require some amount of planning.
There are many places in the game where that hover isn't strictly necessary, but provides you with an added amount of air control that gives you the upper hand, so it's definitely a good idea to get comfortable with it no matter which ninja you're playing as

Not what I meant. A needed patch is neat-o. What I got was an update of some volume. My guess would be about the leaderboards, maybe. The digital version on Switch is around 3.2 GB, which I would not find acceptable. I got the game card to get around that, duh, just like the other TP releases. Hey Kids! This gives me the cool illusion of being some 30 years back! Just put it in for big fun. No. Early 21cen digital media practices.
I mention this not be recognized at being anal, or being-out-of-times, it's because this is the exception.

I was impatient and played the game before applying any patches. I didn't notice any differences before/after patching - the game card in the box is definitely still a full game, so no worries

[NYN]

I didn't notice any differences before/after patching - the game card in the box is definitely still a full game, so no worries

This...is even more confusing. I am inclined to delete the package, then. The other example I have for this practice is Fire Emblem Engage, where 3.9 GB get installed as DLC, without me having purchased anything.
Nooo00oooo!

Cleared Stage 4 (the foundry - this is the new one, right?) and felt, while at it, middle to hard dicked-on by the intensification of progress. Despite clearing the boss on 2nd try. I then chalked it to personal impatience. Seems that I dislike to be without rhythm. Gropping in the dark, for the first time, not that pleasant for me. Some of the similar games I play over years, so I never lose the basic. Yet, the new ones, ay gevalt.

Noting that it IS FUN, overall. Perhaps I'm playing around to much with the hover, though I noticed that a ninja does not grab a ladder at once while twisting. That goes all together with the more deliberate pace I'm sensing all-game. Again, my impatience manifest as I really and totally dislike to be set back to zero weapon level. It's the dicks! Feeling as an infant. The bosses and their extension in the 2nd half of battle are very pleasing.

[NYN]

Cleared Norm. Well. I am not too happy with the final boss for now. The first, Garuda, I dare say is a push-over chump. And the next due to nature attacks in circles, always from the same side, so it becomes about which platform to hold in the decent. Perhaps I soften on this, all I can tell is that it seriously doesn't pump my nads. Played without extra weapons.

[NYN]

- the game card in the box is definitely still a full game, so no worries

About that. I cannot confirm this. I seem to remember that while first play I could start version 1.0 of the game while "updating". Now I am not certain anymore. It's likely I waited for the up finish.

My rub with it yet is, that I deleted the 1.1 GB download plus save game and was told that I needed an update. Automatic software updates are OFF. None. Got offline, still the same: update needed, version 1.0.1.
Can't start the game.

I grind my teeth over this, feeling that on this board I shouldn't need to explain as to why. There should be a info on the case, NEEDS extra data, NOT the complete game (ha-ha).

Anyone? Anyone?

[TransatlanticFoe]

The Switch has an internal register of games+versions that have been used on your console. It forces you to have the latest version in the register as a minimum to be able to launch the game - if you update a game to version 2.0.0 but the cart has 1.0.0 on it, you will not be able to launch the game from the cart unless you patch it to 2.0.0. Presumably this is to guard against save data corruption/exploits if you then go back to the earlier version with later save data. You will not be able to play the game without downloading a patch.

You will always be able to refuse an update and just start the game if you leave the game un-patched from first launching it on your console. Once you download an update though, you're stuck needing that update data on your console.

The only way to reset the register is to factory reset your console.

[NYN]

Thank you, that helps. I am not keen on tech politics, and that clearly shows it. I will not attempt to understand such "logic", I prefer not to follow it.

[spmbx]

It's super confusing to see the subjects of the topics constantly changing

[Sima Tuna]

It's super confusing to see the subjects of the topics constantly changing

Is it?

[spmbx]

It's super confusing to see the subjects of the topics constantly changing

Is it?

yes

[Sumez]

Yeah, the "you need to update" notification is entirely a part of the Switch's patch design, and doesn't say anything about the state of the game unpatched.
I think the only reason the patch is so large is due to stupid patch design (either due to decisions made by the dev, the core game engine (Unity), or the Switch's environment itself) where it's probably replacing pretty much the entire game executable.

I think the internal patch database of the Switch that TransatlanticFoe is alluding to, includes not only games you've played on your system, but unique IDs for every single games registered on Nintendo's servers. So even if you haven't been online after acquiring a physical release (but after a patch was released), it will still need that it "needs" to be updated. I could swear I've experienced this at least a few times, since I play offline a lot.

That said, I'm pretty sure you can always bypass that warning and play the game anyway.

[BuckoA51]

Soooooooooooo... found out this morning that this game does not auto save unless you quit at the game over screen...

That's fine I need practise anyway